Many businesses, from start-ups to large privately held companies, do not have in-house counsel for reasons of cost, philosophy or transition.  Further, some in-house lawyers do not have the time or, in some instances, the expertise to handle certain matters, and therefore require outside legal support.

For these reasons, HBA has developed a unique Outside General Counsel program for large and small corporate clients who want outside counsel to handle corporate formalities and legal issues, without incurring the high overhead and multi-tiered staffing of large law firms.  In this capacity, we provide experienced and cost-effective services in numerous practice areas, with particular emphasis in the following categories:

• SEC and state securities law filings and reporting obligations
• Commercial contracts, licensing agreements and strategic transactions
• Corporate governance and secretarial functions, including board and shareholder resolutions, consents, directors meetings, shareholder meetings, and minutes
• Counseling officers and directors on fiduciary duties and strategic considerations
• Employment matters, including hiring, retention, termination and employee handbooks
• Executive compensation, including stock options and restricted stock agreements, as well as other forms of equity and non-equity based incentive compensation
• Facilitating business development
• Trademark, patent and other intellectual property protection
• Litigation, arbitration and risk management
• Commercial Leasing

HBA attorneys have a breadth of legal knowledge and expertise and rich business experience that make the firm an ideal provider of outside general counsel services. Several of our attorneys held general counsel positions in public and privately held companies before joining HBA.   

Just like any expert in-house counsel, we work with each client to understand their business model and industry in order to provide customized service that targets their particular business affairs needs. We provide quick response, either on-site or off-site, to address our clients’ legal requirements in real time in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. 

Each client has an HBA attorney assigned as Outside General Counsel. That attorney is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the client's legal representation, while becoming an expert on the client's business in order to better serve and contribute to their success.

Because we know it is crucial to many clients, and given our staffing protocol and overhead structure, HBA is able to offer these outside general counsel services at an affordable price. Uniquely, HBA offers clients creative and flexible approaches to billing, such as monthly retainers, fixed project fees, or a blend of these approaches with traditional hourly billing.